I am writing to request an exemption from 14 CFR § 121.311(b) to the extent required for

Gabrielle Hanlon to be able to use an FAA Approved Child Restraint Sy stem even though s he exceeds the weight limits for the CRS. In addition, if my petition is granted , I request that an y air carrier or commercial operator operating under part 121 while Gabrielle Hanlon is aboard its aircraft is granted an exemption from 14 CFR § 121.311(b)(2)(iii)(B) to the extent necessary to allow Gabrielle Hanlon to exceed the speci fied weight limit for an FAA

- approved child restraint s ys tem during use of that child restraint s ys tem aboard an aircraft. I believe the pertinent section from 14 CFR part 121 from which we seek relief is Section 121.311 Seats, safet y belts, and shoulder h arnesses. My daughter is 12 y ear’s old, weighs 93 pounds, and is 50 inches tall. My daughter ’s phy sical condition is as follows she has Mitochondrial Disease . As a result of her condition, s he needs the support and securit y provided by an FAA Approved Chi l d Restraint, but because of her weight is incapable of compliance with the regulation. I understand that the regulation is written to create a high level of safety for each individual passenger b y ensuring that they are securely restrained in their seats d uring all phases of flight. The regulation also ensures that an individual does not cause harm to other passengers on the airplane b y being thrown into them during turbulent or emergency

conditions. I propose that Gabrielle Hanlon be allowed to occupy an F AA Approved Child Restraint (CARES, manufactured by AmSafe, Inc.), even though s he exceeds the manufacturer’s weight limits. This ensures a high level of safety for Gabrielle Hanlon and a high level of safet y for the other passengers and crew on the airplane. In fact, in Gabrielle Hanlon’s case, safet y is greatly enhanced b y the extra support and securit y that the FAA Approved Restraint Sy stem will provide during the entire flight. Enhancing safety

for Gabrielle Hanlon is in the public interest. In addition , the public interest is also served b y the fact that the use of this FAA Approved C hild Restraint Sy stem allows her to use commercial air transportation. Without the support and securit y of the FAA Approved Child Restraint Sy stem, s he would be unable to f ly commercially

. I also believe that, with certain limitations established by the FAA in a grant to this petition, there can be an equivalent level of safety to that provided by the affected regulation. The CARES restraint has been certified by the manufac turer for use by children 22

- 44 pounds. However, the components of the CARES restraint are the same as those used in restraints for adults on aircraft and would maintain their integrity if used by someone who weighed several hundred pounds. I believe that the limit of 44 pounds was established because, with the additional weight of the child attached to the seatback, the seatback would move forward more quickl y in an accident scenario and this might cause a higher HI C load for the person seated in the seat behind the passenger using the CARES restraint (because the seatback movingforward more quickl y would mean that it would not be there to attenuate the energy from

the impact of the person seated behind the person using the CARES restraint). In order to a chieve an equivalent level of safet y as that provided by the affected regulation, I propose that the FAA establish a limitation in a grant to this petition that Gabrielle Hanlon only

sits in a passenger seat with no passenger seated behind h im

. Therefore, no unsafe condition would exist for a passenger seated behind Gabrielle Hanlon while s he is using the CARES restraint. Ialso propose that all operations under this exemption be conducted with at least one of Gabrielle Hanlon’s parents or a caregiver accompan ying him or her. In addition, I propose that Gabrielle Hanlon ’s parent or caregiver must carry

a copy of this exemption.
I also request that the processing of this petition not be delay ed for publication and comment in the Federal Register. We want to travel June 2

- June 8, 2013 for her Make

- A

Wish trip to Disney

World. If you take the time to put this in the Federal Register, it will delay the process and we may

not be able to travel in this timeframe. If it is necessary

to put a summary

in the Federal R egister, I submit the following: This is a request for an exemption from FAR 121.311 (b) to the extent required for a child to use an FAA Approved Child Restraint System on an aircraft, even though the child exceeds the weight limits for the CRS. Due to phys ical challenges, without the support and securit y of this FAA Approved Child Restraint Sy stem, this child would be unable to fly . We request that this child be allowed to occupy an FAA Approved Child Restraint (CARES, manufactured b y AmSafe, Inc.), even though s he exceeds the manufacturer’s weight limits of 44 pounds. In this case, the safet y of this child is greatl y enhanced b y the extra support and security that the FAA Approved Restraint Sy stem will provide for him during the flight.